“Months ago, most Albuquerque residents had no idea their city had become a national hub for late abortion. Local pro-life activists took action to educate their neighbors and ended up gathering 27,000 signatures – more than twice the amount necessary – for a city ballot initiative to stop late abortion,” said SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser. “Planned Parenthood and other national pro-abortion groups, including Organizing for America, saw this spontaneous grassroots effort as a mortal threat and spent $1 million to defeat it.

“Despite being outspent four to one, pro-life grassroots activists were able to educate thousands of citizens about fetal pain and the reality of late abortion. This was no small feat in a deep blue city that chose Barack Obama over Mitt Romney by a 15-point margin.

“There remains growing national consensus that babies and women should be protected from dangerous late abortions after 20 weeks. Thirteen states and the U.S. House of Representatives have all passed similar protective legislation and the bill introduced this month by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) already has 40 Senate cosponsors. Polls show Americans are united in opposing this brutal practice and it is time the law reflects our natural recoil from this horror.”

Roderick (Rod) Murphy has been running Problem Pregnancy Center of Worcester, Mass., so successfully for decades he hopes his model will be used nationally to save babies from abortion.

He has written a book for opening and running such centers — Stopping Abortions at Death’s Door (Taig Publishing; available through Amazon) — and personally guides people under the Frontline Life Centers banner. He spoke to the Register about his idea.

Tell us about your successful crisis-pregnancy center.

Problem Pregnancy of Worcester (ProblemPregnancy.org) has been across the street from Planned Parenthood for 31 years. We moved three times when they moved.

We have developed a method of saving babies. Planned Parenthood kills about 2,500 in Worcester a year. We save about 200 or more a year. We’re very successful.

We do this with all volunteers and sidewalk counselors. Nobody gets paid. Nobody gets a nickel — ever. We’re open six days a week with volunteers.

In 2012, the abortion provider waged a successful public relations campaign to force Komen, which supports initiatives to fight breast cancer, to reverse a controversial decision to discontinue voluntary financial grants to Planned Parenthood. Now, two years later, the abortion group greeted the appointment of Dr. Salerno with warm words.
“We wish Dr. Salerno well in this important new role, and we’re proud of our continued partnerships with Komen and others to ensure that all women, regardless of income, have access to information and high-quality health care to prevent, detect and treat breast cancer,” Eric Ferrero, Planned Parenthood’s vice president for communications, said in a statement. Calls to Planned Parenthood asking for additional information were not returned.
‘We Aren’t Going Away’
Not everybody agrees. ”She’ll be perfect for what Planned Parenthood wants,” Doug Scott, president of Life Decisions International, an organization that keeps tabs on Planned Parenthood, said of the appointment.
He was not in a conciliatory mood. “It’s important for Komen to understand that we aren’t going away,” he said. Life Decisions International lists businesses that contribute to Planned Parenthood on its website.
Salerno “did say that health is not a partisan issue, and pro-lifers should hold her to that,” said Rachel Bohannon, former communications manager for Texas Right to Life. “She needs to crack down on those pass-through grants to Planned Parenthood.”
However, Bohannon doesn’t expect Komen to keep its distance from Planned Parenthood under Salerno. “Once you’re in bed with Planned Parenthood, and they are bad bedfellows, you can’t leave. Komen was no match for them.”